1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a tool for facilitating the opening of pull tab cans. More particularly, the present invention relates to a tool which is operable to assist a user in both pivotally rotating pull tabs and linearly pulling pull tabs.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Pull tabs, as openers on cans housing a variety of products, have been in public use for a number of years. As shown in FIG. 10, a pull tab normally includes a ring 2 which has an opening 4 formed therein to receive a finger of a user therethrough. The ring 2 is attached to a can lid portion 6 by a rivet 8 or the like. Generally speaking, there are two common types of cans with pull tab actuators.
The first type of pull tab actuated can provides a limited size opening in the can lid for drinking or pouring out the liquid contents of the can. This "small opening" can is opened by pivotally rotating the pull tab to break a seal around the small opening and to force a tear-away portion of the lid downwardly into the can, the tear-away portion of the lid remaining attached, at one thereof, to the remainder of the can lid.
The second type of pull tab actuated can which is commonly available today is a "tear-away lid" type in which the entire upper surface or lid of the can is removable in a two-step process. When removing the lid from this second type of can, the pull tab is first pivotally rotated to break a seal at the edge of the lid, in a manner similar to that used to open the small opening type of can. Then, once the seal has been broken, the user pulls substantially linearly on the pull tab to tear the lid away from the can along a scored groove provided around the outer edge of the lid. In removing the lid from this type of can, it is worth noting that the edge of the tear-away lid may be razor sharp, and may pose some safety hazard unless it is carefully handled and disposed of. Some examples of products which are sold in the "tear-away lid" type of can include cat food, individually packaged pudding servings and fruit cups, vienna sausages, and other products which generally share the characteristic of not being 100% liquid, i.e., these products all include some non-liquid ingredients which necessitates complete removal of the can lid in order to access the contents of the can.
While pull tab actuated cans are convenient and do not require the use of an extraneous can opener, people with limited strength or with limited manual dexterity, or people who wish to protect their nails from potential breakage, would benefit from the provision of a tool that could facilitate the opening of pull-tab actuated cans, particularly if such a tool would assist a user in opening the tear-away lid type of can as well as the small opening type of can. In addition, because of the extreme sharpness of the tear-away lids, as noted above, it would be advantageous to have a tool for opening the tear-away lid cans which would keep the hand of a user as far from the sharp edge of the lid as possible. Ideally, such a tool would assist a user both in pivotally rotating pull tabs and in linearly pulling pull tabs, because of the two types of motion involved in opening cans of the tear-away variety, as noted hereinabove.